What is the difference between GTA 5 normal and premium edition?

The key difference is that the premium edition bundles extra content like starter packs, bonus cash, and gameplay upgrades. The normal edition only includes the base game.

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) first launched in 2013 and is one of the best-selling video games ever made. It provides players an open world environment to explore and cause chaos in the city of Los Santos. You can play through an immersive single player story mode or online with friends.

Rockstar Games has released two main editions of GTA 5. The standard normal edition contains the complete core game. The more expansive premium edition packages in additional content to enhance the experience.

In this comprehensive guide, we will compare the normal and premium editions of GTA 5 in detail. You‘ll learn exactly what extra items and features the premium edition provides. We‘ll also evaluate whether the premium edition is truly worth the higher price tag.

Diving Into What‘s Included in Each Edition

Let‘s first look at everything you get in each edition of GTA 5:

Normal Edition Contents

The normal edition includes the following:

• Full single player story mode – Play as 3 characters across 69 main story missions in diverse locations.

• GTA Online – Access the shared open world to play and chat with friends and other players.

• Game world of Los Santos and Blaine County – Freely roam the entire map filled with activities and side content.

• Core gameplay – Experience GTA‘s signature blend of driving, shooting, exploring, and causing chaos in an urban environment.

That covers all the basics you need to enjoy everything GTA 5 has to offer. Now let‘s see how the premium edition builds on top of that foundation.

Premium Edition Contents

The premium edition bundles in the following extras:

• Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack – Receive properties, vehicles, weapons, clothing and more in GTA Online worth over GTA$10,000,000.

• GTA$1,000,000 Bonus Cash – Extra bonus money to spend right away in GTA Online.

• Free Access to Existing Content Upgrades – Unlock gameplay upgrades like The Doomsday Heist, Gunrunning, Smuggler‘s Run, etc.

To break it down, the starter pack and bonus cash let you jumpstart your criminal empire in GTA Online with the best items and lots of money. The additional content upgrades provide new activities and ways to play.

Below is a detailed look at everything included in the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack:

• Properties: Maze Bank West Executive Office, Paleto Forest Gunrunning Bunker, Senora Desert Counterfeit Cash Factory, Great Chaparral Biker Clubhouse, 1561 San Vitas Street Apartment.

• Vehicles: Dune FAV, Maibatsu Frogger, Enus Windsor, Obey Omnis, Coquette Classic, Turismo R, Pegassi Vortex, Huntley S, Western Zombie Chopper, Banshee.

• Weapons: Compact Grenade Launcher, Marksman Rifle, Compact Rife, Stunt Race & Import / Export Outfits.

• Clothing & Tattoos: Biker Tattoos.

As you can see, you receive a ton of valuable properties, vehicles, weapons, and other gear. This is an enormous head start when beginning GTA Online.

Is the Premium Edition Worth the Extra Cost?

Now let‘s evaluate whether all the extras included with the premium edition of GTA 5 warrant its higher price tag, usually $20-30 more than the normal edition.

Benefits of the premium edition:

• The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack provides over GTA$10 million worth of items for free. This saves dozens of hours that would otherwise be spent slowly accumulating money and buying gear.

• The GTA$1,000,000 bonus cash lets you immediately buy whatever you want like planes, boats, cars, guns, and properties without needing to grind and earn money first.

• According to Rockstar, the starter pack and bonus cash provide enough value to jumpstart an entire criminal enterprise in GTA Online. This allows new players to experience all the best content right away.

• Access to gameplay upgrades like heists, smuggling, and biker club activities adds more diversity to GTA Online and extends the life of the game.

Downsides of paying extra for the premium edition:

• The starter pack diminishes the sense of satisfaction and progression from slowly earning money and buying better items.

• Having everything handed to you from the beginning reduces motivation and goals.

• The extra content upgrades can be purchased separately at any time, so they are not essential to own from day one.

To quantify the value of the premium edition, let‘s compare how long it would take to earn the contents of the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack through normal gameplay:

As you can see, it would take a new player around 40+ hours of gameplay to earn enough money to buy everything in the starter pack. By paying a bit extra up front, you skip that entire long grind.

Which Edition Should You Buy?

Based on the differences between the normal and premium editions, here is my recommendation on which version of GTA 5 you should purchase:

For new players – The premium edition is strongly recommended. The starter pack, bonus cash, and additional content will allow you to experience all the best parts of GTA Online as soon as you begin playing. This removes dozens of hours of tedious grinding to earn money. You‘ll have access to amazing properties, vehicles, weapons, and activities right from the start.

For veteran players – If you‘ve already put dozens or hundreds of hours into GTA Online on a previous console or PC, the premium edition offers less value. You likely already own many of the properties, cars, guns, etc included in the starter pack. The normal edition is perfectly sufficient.

For players on a budget – If the $20-30 premium is too much, the normal edition still provides the complete GTA 5 experience. You‘ll just need to spend more time earning money and buying items in GTA Online before you can access some of the best high-end content. But the entire map and core gameplay is still there.

The Bottom Line

While the normal edition of GTA 5 offers the full game, the premium edition bundles in a Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack, bonus cash, and additional content that let you maximize your experience, especially in GTA Online. For new players, it provides incredible value, saving dozens of hours, and letting you acquire the best items right away. For veteran players, the normal edition has everything you need to enjoy GTA 5 all over again.

Both versions will provide endless hours of open-world action. The premium edition simply removes much of the grind for new players. Hopefully this detailed comparison helps you decide which is the right one for you!